Avalanche Bursary awarded to Eric Pearson

Eric Pearson is the most recent applicant who the Fernie Trails & Ski Touring Club has supported in our Avalanche Bursary Program. Every year $2000 is available to help further avalanche education in the Elk Valley. The program has been existence for the past decade and bursary applicants need to apply in writing to fernietrails@fernie.com for consideration.

Eric Pearson and Ian Stoke, FT&STC President

Eric commented, “Receiving the bursary has helped me with the Mod one of the Canadian Avalanche Association operations level 2 and continue to further my professional development in the avalanche industry.”

Eric’s application:

Please accept the following letter as an application for the avalanche safety bursary. I am writing this letter for your consideration as a potential recipient for this bursary. I Have lived and worked in the Elk Valley for the past 14 years and have discovered my passion for skiing here. This community has allowed me to develop my passion into a career in the snow sports industry through different avenues and I am always motivated to continue my professional development and education.

I moved to Fernie in 2005 to attend the Mountain Adventure Skills Training program with the College of the Rockies which started me into the snow sports and snow science industry from there I work a few different jobs within the snow sports industry and gain experience traveling and working in avalanche terrain. In 2008 I completed my CAA operations level one and later that year I joined the Fernie Ski Patrol where I was able to learn from a team of experienced and professional avalanche technicians and forecasters. My career path was moving towards becoming a ski guide through the ACMG but this route would have taken me away from the community that I call home as well as my family so I choose a different direction and continued working with the Fernie ski patrol and starting a family in the town and community that I love.

I have now been working on the Fernie Ski Patrol and I feel that the next step for me is to move towards an avalanche-forecasting role. I was accepted into the CAA level 2 program. This fall I completed the first module o the level 2 program and still have 2 modules left to go. This bursary would be a big help to offset the high cost of these programs, which can be a bit of a burden on a young family. Moving in this direction would allow me to follow my passion for recreating and working in the snow sports community and allow me to live and play in the Elk Valley.

Thank you for your consideration,

Eric Pearson

See more details on the bursary program here.